Church is Catholic from the very first moment - Pope Benedict

"We are told something very important: that the Church is catholic from the very first moment, that her university is not the fruit of the subsequent inclusion of diverse communities. From the first instant, in fact, the Holy Spirit created her as the Church of all peoples; she embraces the whole world, she transcends all frontiers of race, class, nation; she razes all the bastions and unites men in the profession of God one and triune. From the very beginning the Church is one, catholic and apostolic: This is her true nature and as such she must be recognized. She is holy, not due to the capacity of her members, but because God himself, with his Spirit, always creates her, purifies her and sanctifies her."

Words from the Holy Father's Homily for Pentecost yesterday. There is almost an embarrassment in some quarters to talk about converts, receiving people into the Church, saving souls. Do we not believe that part of the Church's mission is to bring all people into the one, catholic and apostolic fold? In other words that everyone is called to be a Catholic. The Holy Father says that this is a part of the Church's nature, not an historical accident. Within the confines of those who profess the Christian Faith the Holy Father is reaching out to all sorts of people and groups where there is a real hope of them rejoining the Catholic Faith - who knows what his next initiative might be? A true work of the Holy Spirit.